In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. We also grow a smaller number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘August Time’.
In 2003 we made a first generation hybridization using ‘34P572’ (unpatented) nectarine as the selected seed parent and ‘Candy Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,462) peach as the selected pollen parent. Upon reaching maturity the fruit of this hybridization was gathered, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in our greenhouse facility. Upon reaching dormancy we transplanted them to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2008 we selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘34P572’ (unpatented) nectarine, by being self-fertile and by producing nectarines that are mostly red in skin color, that are yellow in flesh color, that are clingstone in type, and that are medium to large in size, but is quite distinguished from it by maturing about thirty-five days later.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘Candy Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,462) peach, by being self-fertile, by having a showy blossom, by blooming in the mid to late season, and by producing fruit that is mostly red in skin color and yellow in flesh color, but is quite distinguished from it by being a nectarine instead of peach, by having an acidic instead of sub-acidic flavor, and by maturing about thirty days later.
The present variety is most similar to ‘August Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,143) nectarine by being self-fertile, by having a non-showy blossom, by blooming in the mid to late season, and by producing nectarines that mature in mid August and that are mostly red in skin color, yellow in flesh color, globose to slightly oblong in shape, clingstone in type, very good in flavor, but is distinguished therefrom by having a larger tree, by blooming more densely, by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands, and by producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size, that has much less skin freckling, that is sweeter in flavor, and that has a bitter instead of sweet kernel.